


Can't Take My Eyes Off of You

by melonshino



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abandonment, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Angst with a Happy Ending, Eventual Smut, Everyone's merfolk, F/M, Fluff, Forced Marriage, I'm gettin' real dramatic for a fic about mermaids tbh lol, Mentions of Death of Minor Characters, Mentions of past child abuse, Mermaid Reader, Merpeople, Merpeople AU, Mild Language, Not Beta Read, Nudity, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Panic Attacks, Reader-Insert, Romance, True Mates, Winter, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-21
Updated: 2017-01-03
Packaged: 2018-09-10 22:06:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8941261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melonshino/pseuds/melonshino
Summary: Having stayed too long gathering supplies on shore at the cusp of winter, the Reader gets left behind by her pod on their migration to warmer waters. Braving the journey alone, she happens upon a new pod of mismatched merfolk that just might be willing to take her in.





	1. Chapter One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written for [@sdavid09‘s Winter Writing Days](http://sdavid09.tumblr.com/post/152820658854/taletellers-winter-writing-days) challenge on Tumblr. My prompts were Mermaid AU and “[Can’t Take My Eyes off of You](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euTxpe61NE8)” by John Lloyd Young

They’re gone.

They left without you.

You shivered on the icy beach in your mostly stolen, partially donated human clothes, staring out over the water and the grey light that spread over the bay as the sun rested just below the horizon. You knew you were pushing it with how long you had been gone from the pod but you didn't think that they would actually leave without you on the migration.

At the very least, you thought someone might actually look for you before leaving. You wouldn’t’ve been that hard to find.

Your hair was still plastered to the back of your neck. The fat, half-frozen drops of seawater drenching the collar of the overcoat that hung loosely over your frame. You had searched the frigid waters of the bay all night and there was no sign of the pod, no way of knowing how long ago they departed. You were supposed to gather the few supplies the pod needed on land and be back in time for them to leave the next morning but you had been forced to stay on shore for close to two weeks without being able to check in with your pod. You would have to haul the supplies you gathered for the trip on your own and hope that you might catch up with them somehow.

It wasn't that you regretted the reasons that kept you on shore for so long but feeling of dread sat low in your stomach. The pod was your lifeline, your supposed family. They would've known if you had gone far or whether you died somehow or not, so why not send someone up? Were the stupid rules so much more important that the whereabouts of one of your own?

Your would-be “fiancé” didn't even wait for you, apparently. That gross excuse of a merman.

A nicer police officer gave you one of his old hiking packs –which you filled to the brim with your new belongings– since they assumed you were homeless. Which was technically true in the human sense, when you thought about it.

The entire ocean was and will always be your home. Your loved the freedom and serenity it provided, unlike the humans that lived on land in their cute little dwellings. Sure, you were more curious than most of your kin when it came to how the land-dwellers functioned on a day-to-day basis but that didn't mean you wanted to become one of them. You just liked watching them work and the things they made to supposedly make their lives easier were so fascinating.

The pod leaders were the ones who sent you to shore in the first place, the only person willing enough to interact with humans long enough to gather the supplies they needed to continue their journey. Buying (and maybe sometimes stealing) from humans was much easier than scavenging the sea floor. A few glamoured pieces of dry seaweed as cash and they were more than willing to help someone buy whatever they needed.

You could feel the water nipping at your boots as it washed up on the sand. The sun was now peeking above the horizon, painting the dusting of clouds in pastel pinks and juicy oranges. It fought the chill in your bones, just barely easing your fears over the distance you would have to travel alone. There was no way you could stay here for the winter. The waters would soon kill you –a couple of days at most before the first frost– if you didn’t leave that day. And staying on land was worse, aside from your body’s need to return to the ocean every once in awhile. Your kind wasn’t built for the snow that had yet to fall or the icy winds that ripped through your borrowed clothes.

Your eyes darted down the abandoned stretch of sand, making sure it was truly deserted before you stripped out of your human clothes behind a rickety lifeguard tower that the small town had long forgotten. The blustery morning winds nipped at your naked flesh, goosebumps forming across the surface as you willed yourself not to shiver. You tossed the old clothes into the broken window of the small building, hoping they’d be there if and when you needed them next season.

Well, if you made it to next season.

You strapped the hiking pack full of mostly waterproof items to your back, fully aware of how heavy it would prove to be once you were fully submerged.

With your pack in tow, you made your way down the beach to the rocky outcropping that hung lowly over deeper waters. It was just out of sight of any humans that might be braving the winter winds for a morning jog, whatever that was. You pulled on the straps of the pack, making sure everything was secure and in place. You peered over the edge of the rocks into the calm, inky blue waters of the bay that had been the pod’s home for the last 4 months. Taking a deep breath to calm your nerves, you backed up a few feet before taking off into a run and expertly diving into the waters below. The rush of icy water transforming your legs into fins as they submerged.

The ocean welcomed you lovingly with shaky but open arms. The weight on your back made swimming awkward even with your powerful fins, the loose items swirling around in the water but still firmly held together in the bag. The temperature below the surface was much more manageable than the one above and you had to hold in a giggle at how much happier the environment made you. Even if you were only out of it for a few hours to collect your bag from town.

Your fin colors were a coveted rarity among your species varied shades of blue and green. The scales were an opalescent white near the lower fins then faded slowly into pale pinks, yellows, and oranges. Just like the clouds dyed by the morning sun. Your dorsal fin, which began low on your back was a brilliant white that stuck out beneath the rolling waves. Your mother always said that your grandmother’s fins were similar.

Before she passed, your mother had nicknamed you Sunny because of your scales and sometimes you would jokingly call her Sky because of her baby blue scales. The names died with her, though. Just like most of the familial or even friendly feelings you had towards the pod over the years.

Since you were on your own, you left your top bare instead of digging your wraps out of the backpack. If you did happen to run into any other of your kind, outside of your own pod, you could just play it off as your old pod being one of the more free-spirited ones who reject modesty or whatever they normally touted around. Either that or avoid them altogether since you’ve rarely interacted with merfolk outside of your own pod anyway.

While you were wary of making it there on your own, you still knew the way by heart. You’d lost count of the number of cycles that passed, honestly unsure of your own age at this point. You vaguely remembered being born in winter, maybe. It was when your mom would get you small gifts as a youngling to carry down to the wintering grounds. Either way, that tradition ended when she passed as the Roman pod wasn't the celebratory type. It was militant and distrusting at best, downright monsters at their worst. The pod was large and supposedly feared amongst other merfolk, not that you had the opportunity to speak with them much, and most of their leaders liked to keep it that way.

If you had been held at spear-point you would gladly admit that you honestly hated the lot of them.

Especially your “fiancé” Richard, or Dick as he preferred to be called for some unknown reason. He was the first son of one of the leaders and he had leveraged his standing in the pod to get you to ‘promise’ to mate with him this season. Everyone knew it was explicitly because of the rare fin color you were born with, because without it you would more than likely be the pariah of the pod. You were kind while they were cruel, giving when they wanted to take, and fiercely opinionated when they wanted their women to be silent.

Even so, they were the only kin you had ever known. It pained you that the loss of them still struck you. So unwillingly indoctrinated with their beliefs that you hardly knew how to function outside of it. The pain aside, you would still leave if given the choice. Unfortunately, the only way they would let you go peacefully is by finding your true mate in another pod, which was horribly unlikely with the number of merfolk still roaming the seas. Even then, they would still try to convince your supposed mate to join them instead.

In the end, the two ways you left the Romans were by mate or death.

Deserters were hunted down and killed on sight.

Your mother had been one of the unlucky few that were convinced to join the Romans instead of staying in the pod she was born into. The male moving to a new pod was normal for merfolk, queer and same sex pairs got to choose. But your mother was the gentle sort and when your father had asked her to join his instead, she relented.

A decision she quickly grew to regret.

Your father had not been a terribly loving man but he was not unkind, especially to his mate. He was killed during a hunting trip one summer and a year later your mother went with him, unable to continue on living with the loss of her true mate. She fought hard to keep living for her daughter but in the end it wasn’t enough.

You honestly envied the ones that got to leave with your whole heart, the few that succeeded in escaping. Even now, the thought loomed in the back of your mind, ebbing and flowing with the tide. You could escape. You could find a place in the ocean on the other side of the world and find a new pod to join. But fear stilled your hand. You knew deep down that you didn't belong with this pod but you stayed because it was all you knew. It was safe. Hard, cold, and terrifying in its own right, but it was safe.

That, and the poignant fear of death was a highly motivating factor as well.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, warming the ocean waters a few more degrees, you were tens of miles away from the icy bay they left you at.

You were making good progress despite the hefty pack weighing you down. There wasn’t much dawdling to be done with no one to talk to or being forced to help the crotchety old elders that refused to let go of their mortal coil. You were oddly at peace despite the danger of the ocean around you. No one to talk behind your back or call you names, no boring pod politics or useless power-plays to attend to with your “fiancé.”

It was nice. Just you and the cool winter waters with the occasional fish or turtle on the way. The thought struck you that maybe if you did make it all the way to their wintering grounds, perhaps you wouldn’t join them. Hunkering down far from where they normally gathered. The thought alone was slightly off-putting but… not unwelcome, of course.

Independent merfolk didn’t fare well for very long but weren’t unheard of. Pods were a necessity when it came to keeping safe from the dangers that lurked around these waters.

Still, you wondered if you might prefer being alone instead. As you had a feeling that the suffocating structure of the pod wouldn’t allow you to live much longer than that anyway. The idea of raising younglings with them, his younglings, sent a sickening feeling down your spine.

Either way, you had too much to think about and all the time to do it on your journey. You were well aware that this wasn’t something you were going to solve in a day. For now, you would have to make it to Wraith’s Cove before nightfall if you wanted a safe place to rest away from predators and prying eyes. From where you were now it would be another 6 hours if you were able to maintain this pace.

* * *

It was about an hour or so before sunset when you finally made it to Wraith’s Cove. It was a place the pod had found on accident, a new and particularly strong current forced the pod to chance a different route. Largely you called in that because the first time you happened upon this place you had to fight off a wraith that was using the small outcrop as a hideout to terrorize the nearby town. He had assumed you were a human on the rocky beach where the pod made camp in the waters nearby. You had gone up to make sure that there weren’t any signs of humans.

You got the drop on him because he had underestimated your strength. It was normal for merfolk but about 50 times greater than a normal human. You were quick to decapitate the beast before the guards of your pod even had time to come up onto shore. Instead of praising you for taking out a threat, they chastised you for potentially bringing attention to the pod from your loud, slightly inexperienced fighting.

You slept on shore that night, just to get away from all the ridiculous looks everyone else was giving you. The wraith’s cave made a nice little hideaway and was comfortable enough to spend the next few nights in. It would be where you would stay tonight, especially now that you were alone. The cove had more than a few creepy night animals that you more than preferred the land.

It was still pretty cold out but better than the town that you left. It rarely snowed in this area, from what you heard from people in town. And the winds usually came from the west, where the cave entrance faced east. You couldn’t fight the shiver as you pulled yourself up onto the small, smooth rocks of the beach. It took a few seconds for your fins to disappear enough for your legs to make an appearance, the shimmering scales fading in the warm light cast by the sun starting to set.

You pulled off your pack, the wet fabric feeling harsh on your skin. The cave was a short journey up the rocks and you gathered bits of dry driftwood on the way there. It wasn’t very deep but it was tall enough for you to stand in and enough room to safely make a small fire to keep you warm through the night.

The cave was still largely as you left it for during the last season and there wasn’t much to clear out. You dumped the driftwood by the stone firepit and pulled the pack further into the cave to dump out its contents. You were happy that most of it seemed to fare well, no visible leaks in the well-sealed plastic bags.

It had been… particularly embarrassing to purchase most of the items the pod asked you to get. Much of it was for the, uh, mating that would take place, the summer being the only time merfolk in the area were fertile. A lot of condoms and the like to prevent unwanted younglings. It was honestly an inordinate amount of condoms for one person to buy and carry, you went to almost every place in town that sold them just so you wouldn't have to buy them all at once. You got rid of the boxes and sealed them away in airtight bags in hopes that they would make the journey safely.

The rest of it were miscellaneous human food items and random things people wanted. You had purchased a few things for yourself as well. A knife that would hopefully hold up well underwater. It was long, about the length of your forearm, and would fit nicely in the sheath you hoped to make a belt for at some point. You also bought a flint and steel, as the grungy homeless man from a few seasons ago called it. He was the one who taught you how to build a fire as he assumed back then that you were newly homeless or something.

You built up a small fire at the entrance of the cave, the wood was dry so there was very little smoke. The floor inside of the cave was more of the smooth rocks that littered the beach, probably washed in here during a spring tide. You laid out the empty pack by the fire, a few feet away so it wouldn’t catch any embers but close enough to dry out from the warmth.

The food probably wouldn’t last the entire journey, or even long enough to maybe catch up with your pod, so you ate a few bits of it. It was mostly junk food, as the humans called it, but it was better than nothing at all.

You laid out the blanket from your pack over a huge flat stone in the back of the cave. It was completely wet but why would that bother you?

It didn’t really hit you how tired you were until you finally allowed yourself to rest. As soon as you laid down on the rock --which would’ve been way more comfortable underwater-- you were out like a light. The unsure feeling in your chest still lingering as you dreamed.

* * *

The sound of voices pulled you from your sleep and you frantically rolled off of your makeshift bed.

You let out a low hiss, feeling a few scrapes from your awkward tumble. You were alone, thankfully, the voices seemingly a ways off. So, you scurried to the front of the cave and shoved almost everything back into your pack. The sun was just coming up, painting the few wisps of clouds in a silver light. You awkwardly tied your wrap around your torso, just barely covering enough to be semi-decent if these humans found you.

Sensing an unfamiliar threat, you purposefully tucked your knife into a side pocket of your pack, not wanting to put it away completely in case of danger.

Peering out of the cave, you held in a yelp as a small group of people had congregated only about 50 feet away from your hiding spot. They were all wearing swimsuits and you could only sit there and wonder why humans would be up so early out in the cold, barely wearing anything at all.

Not that you were much better.

Your eyes were drawn to a taller man facing away from you with a broad back and short tawny hair. He was slightly tanned, which was odd for humans in the winter, and even from here you could see that he was dotted with a light dusting of freckles. He had a wide stance that was slightly bow legged that you found cute for whatever reason. Your eyes stayed on him for a good while as they spoke and you vaguely thought of that one human song you kept hearing during your brief stint on land.

_“You're just too good to be true_

_Can't take my eyes off of you_

_You'd be like heaven to touch_

_I want to hold you so much”_

You snorted at the cheesy thought and strapped your pack tightly around you, carefully ducking behind the rocks. Praying to the stars that they would leave soon enough. Pressed up against the stones, still warm from the nearly dead fire you lit last night. The nerves in your hands were tingling in anticipation and you were barely able to hear their voices over the sound of your heart thumping in your chest.

“Chill out, Dean-o. We come here every season. People always stay away from here when it’s cold. It’s not even a comfortable beach. We’ll be good for a day or two.”

“Can it, Trickster.  I know I smelt smoke or something around here. Let’s just make sure before we make camp,” a deep gravelly voice spoke and for some reason you hoped it belonged to the bow-legged man you couldn’t keep your eyes off of. Your brow furrowed and your heart slowed, the voice alone somehow calming your frayed nerves. You didn’t know why but something deep within you longed to hear more of it, like if it were the only voice you could hear for the rest of your life you would be content.

You shook your head at the ridiculous thought.

Distracted by the swarming feelings in your chest you let out a strangled cry, a poor attempt at stifling a scream, as a tall, long-haired male rounded the rocks you were hiding behind. Both sets of eyes went wide at the sudden appearance of the other. He quickly turned and yelled to the others as you shot off into a run towards the small cliff overlooking the water. Leaving a bewildered man in your wake.

Instinct completely taking over as your brain failed to come up with a more practical solution… like just talking to them politely.

You could feel the thundering footsteps behind you, the few desperate voices not registering in your mind, and just before you were about to dive into water below thick, strong arms pulled you back.

Adrenaline still pumping through your body as you kicked and screamed, whoever grabbed you held you well above the ground. They were desperately trying to get you to stay still.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, kid. Kid! Calm down. Calm down,” the rough voice cut through your frenzied mind and you instantly slumped back. They set you down gently and when you were finally able to focus your eyes met a brilliant green that took your breath away. The man crouched low and had a firm grasp on your forearm as he looked up at you.

“We aren’t here to hurt you.”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your new friends make you spill the beans on why you were holed up in a cave. Also, some new revelations come to light.

_“We aren’t here to hurt you.”_

You shook your head furiously to clear out the gentle fog in your mind, backing up a few steps closer to the edge of the cliff.

The grip on your forearm tightened and your eyes locked onto his. The intense, mossy gaze burrowed into you, making you want to squirm under the heat. Your eyes couldn't help but wander over his sun-kissed face. The light dusting of freckles was somehow just as fascinating as watching the stars at night, you almost reached out with your free hand to touch them.

He smelled of seawater and something deeply sweet that you couldn't name but it was warm and something that reminded you of a home you had yet to find.

And there it was, the gentle ebb and flow you always felt when you were around other merfolk, like the back beat of a song. It was the pull that made it hard for independent merfolk to stay away from joining a pod. They were social creatures by nature and unless there was something else keeping you away, it was inevitable for any podless person to find a place to belong.

There was a hum of electricity where he touched you, different from the other connections you’ve made with other merfolk. It was a sparkling feeling hovering just underneath your skin where he made contact.

In the back of your mind, you wanted to wrap your arms around him and bury your face into his neck as he peppered you with kisses.

Which was more that a little ridiculous considering you were complete strangers, so you quickly tamped down the fluttering feeling in your chest.

The taller, long-haired man who originally found you cleared his throat, startling your green-eyed wonder into dropping your arm and standing abruptly. You didn’t sense an immediate threat but the hand closest to your knife twitched in anticipation. You didn’t know these people and even if they were merfolk, they were still a potential threat to you as a lone mermaid.

"What are you doing out here by yourself?” the green-eyed man questioned, forcing a stern expression. You rolled your eyes and your mouth set into a straight line.

"I don't see how that's any of your business,” you clipped, wrapping your hands around the straps of your pack nervously.

“Fair point, I guess, but we need to know if you’re a threat, kid. You're not human and you're certainly not dressed like one in this weather,” the green-eyed man mused aloud, clearly raking his eyes over your barely covered form. You let out an annoyed sigh, frowning slightly at his smug behavior. He couldn’t help but think the small pout was cute, not that he would admit that to anyone here.

“Look, I’m not sticking around, okay? You don’t have to get your fins twisted, Green-Eyes. I need to get going anyway. Sun’s about to come up,” you said as you backed up more towards the cliff’s edge.

The man panicked, not fully understanding why he nee-- didn’t want you to leave. If it weren’t for his brother just behind him, he’d have a harder time fighting the urge to hold you in his arms. Instead, his hand shot out and grabbed yours, subconsciously intertwining his rough, calloused fingers with yours. You didn’t move to stop him either as, unknowingly, you were both feeling the same pull towards each other. Even those few steps you took towards the cliff’s edge left a hollow feeling in your chest.

You couldn’t help but notice the feel of your hands together too. How his large hand almost engulfed yours, strangely making you feel safe despite being near an unfamiliar group of merfolk. At least they weren’t human like you initially thought, that would’ve been another nightmare you did not want to deal with right now.

“Why are you alone?” the man asked again, softly this time. He turned towards you fully, partially blocking you from view of anyone else there. Your eyes went wide and your pulse picked up over the swell of emotions in your chest. It was completely foreign and new and you had no idea what was happening to you.

A ways off, the long-haired man looked on with curiosity, a little bit confused at his brother’s readiness to dote over this cave-stranger. Normally he wasn't one to accept outsiders all that quickly despite the ragtag nature of their pod. He was fiercely protective of those he considered family, so this was new for everybody involved.

You mumbled a curt response he couldn’t understand and the green-eyed man exhaled sharply.

“Alright, let’s back up a bit then. What’s your name, kid?” he plied, still keeping a firm but gentle hold on your hand. He had to hold in a chuckle at your sour expression, put off over the fact that he was calling you a kid.

“I’m probably just as old, if not older than you, Green-Eyes. Don’t call me a kid,” you asserted, looking directly into his eyes.

“Alright, how many seasons then?” he ventured, giving you a triumphant smirk until your expression sobered. He caught the split second of indecision and then sadness on your face before you looked up at him again, defiant glint in your eye.

“Y/N,” you answered instead.

“What?” He looked a little confused.

“My name is Y/N,” you reiterated, same stern expression.

“Dean,” he provided. “Dean Winchester.”

You gave him a half smile, secretly impressed that he was given a last name.

That was something only provided to the top members of your pod. Though you knew from your mother’s teachings that this was not the norm amongst other pods. He backed up a few steps and turned, motioning with his free hand to the taller man from before.

“This is my little brother, Sammy.”

Sam scoffed and rolled his eyes. “It’s just Sam, actually.”

“Little?” you asked jokingly. “He seems a bit big to be your ‘little’ brother.”

Dean rolled his eyes but failed to suppress the smile on his lips. “Younger.”

Dean’s eyes met Sam’s who raised his eyebrow questioningly at their hands still clasped together. Dean gave his younger brother a harsh look and you didn’t miss the silent conversation between the two men, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious about the act. You timidly try to take your hand away but Dean, unwilling to let go just yet, holds it firmly in place.

He pulls you a few feet away from the edge of the cliff, closer to his brother and you begrudgingly follow.

“I really do have to get going…” you grumble, watching as the sun started to creep up the rocks behind them. The next stop on the pod’s usual route was several hours away and if you didn’t leave before sunrise it would be too dark underwater to find a proper place to rest that was well hidden amongst the kelp beds.

“Are you podless?” Sam asked candidly as they walked you down to the beach. You stilled for a moment, which didn’t go unnoticed by Dean. He also gave a thorough look at the pack strapped to your back, eyes going hard at the large knife hanging from the side of the bag.

“Not exactly,” you admitted, your free hand clutching the strap of your backpack anxiously once more. Sam looked back at you skeptically and you kept your eyes on the ground as you walked. Dean’s hand slid up and held onto your upper arm instead. You shook out your hand slightly to get rid of the tingling feeling he left in his wake.

* * *

 

They threw more questions your way during the short journey but you stayed silent, unsure of how they would treat you if they knew where you came from.

They brought you down to the rocky beach below where a few of their pod members were standing and talking. And suffice it to say, you were more than a little intimidated by the group of mermen. These men were warriors, tall and rough with plenty of silvery scars as evidence to their hard fought battles. The brothers were much of the same and you felt dwarfed in their presence just by muscle mass alone.

It also didn’t help that they were all shirtless and only wearing swim trunks, which was mildly distracting to say the least. Merfolk were normally very open about nudity considering the nature of your transformation, but your pod was considerably more conservative on land. For some reason it only got to you then and not when they were underwater.

A burly, bearded man turned from the rest of the group and greeted the three of you with a smile. “Who’s this little thing y’all picked up?” he asked with the same disarming smile. Your head cocked to the side in confusion at his unusual accent.

“Benny, this is Y/N. Accidentally found her in a cave up on the cliff. Ran out of there like a bat out of hell,” Sam chuckled and you couldn’t help but wonder what a ‘bat’ was.

“She’s been a little tight lipped on who she is and why she’s out here alone.”

“Podless?” asked another man with piercing blue eyes and dark, unruly hair.

“She said, ‘Not exactly’,” Sam answered and you rolled your eyes at how they talked over your head.

“She’s also right here,” you snapped. “You could just talk to her.”

A sandy-haired man, a bit slimmer and shorter than the rest, stepped up and gave you an apologetic look. “Don’t mind these meatheads. They’re up so high, they can barely see past their own noses most of the time. And Cas is an especially awkward turtle.” He stuck his hand out for you to shake and introduced himself. “Gabriel Novak.”

You shook his hand with wide eyes. A Novak? Like from the royal family? He smirked and cocked his head to the side with a knowing look. There weren’t many merfolk who didn’t know the Novak name.

“I take it you’ve heard of me,” he chuckled as he let go of your hand.

“Not you, specifically, but I’m sure you know how the Novak name carries.” He nodded knowingly.

“I’m Y/N.”

“Just Y/N?” he inquired. For some reason you felt particularly at ease with Gabriel. He had a homey, friendly feel about him that you liked right away. You could clearly see the humor in his eyes that made him easy to trust.

“Yeah, uh, only a few people in my pod actually have last names, to be honest. The leaders said those are only for ‘merfolk of importance’,” you blurted out then snapped your mouth shut, mentally cursing your runaway mouth. The men looked at you questionably but were promptly interrupted by short, red-haired woman accompanied by a taller blond woman.

They pushed their way into the ring of people around you and you were thoroughly confused by the red-haired woman’s giddy demeanor. The blond woman went to Sam’s side and he immediately wrapped an arm around her waist with a loving smile.

“Hey, who’s this?” the redhead chirped then stuck out her hand for you to shake as well. “I’m Charlie. Charlie Bradbury.”

“Y/N,” you smiled. It honestly seemed like a miracle that everyone in this pod was so friendly. No one in your pod would ever give a stranger such a warm welcome.

“C’mon, I'll bring you to meet everyone! No need to hang around these giant sour patch kids.”

“Oh! I know what those are, I had them once when I–” but you clamped your mouth shut, unsure of why you were being so easily trusting with these people. You weren't even this talkative within your own pod. Charlie looped your free arm with hers and started to pull you away when Dean’s grip on your arm tightened, stopping the both of you in your tracks.

“Charlie, we barely know who she is or why she’s here. We can't just go around introducing a random stranger to everyone. She might be dangerous,” he growled.

“No offense,” he said as his expression softened.

“Only a little taken,” you joked. You understood his suspicions, that much was clear to you. It would've been much worse for someone in your situation if it was your pod that found them. So, despite how weird it all was this was the best case scenario so far.

Charlie scoffed and rolled her eyes, yanking you out of Dean’s grasp. “Whatever, Dean. She’s a mermaid out here on her own on the edge of winter. Podless or not, we’re more of a danger to her than she is to us. Even with the huge knife.”

Dean huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. “At least tell us why you're here,” he groused.

You sighed roughly and glanced down at the ground, the rocks beneath your feet suddenly very interesting. It didn't seem like these merfolk were out to hurt you, besides not letting you leave they had been surprisingly nice. Still, it was difficult to admit what happened in front of all of these people.

“Alright, okay. Fine.” You threw your free hand up in the air and let it flop back down with another sigh.

“I was abandoned, okay? Got sent up to get supplies a couple towns over and I got stuck up on land for a couple weeks. My pod left me there. I'm trying to catch up with them… maybe,” you hastily admitted, not meeting anyone’s gaze.

You missed Dean’s expression go dark, immediately bristling with disbelief and anger. Everyone’s heart broke for you but they also couldn’t help but be suspicious. They all looked at you similarly but everyone but everyone noticed how angry Dean was at the idea of it. You took your arm back from Charlie and crossed both over your chest as a chill ran through you.

Pods didn’t just leave people behind, even with a messed up pod like yours it was still unheard of.

“How could they just–” a sweet voice started and you looked up, fighting the tears building in your eyes at having to admit that. “Sorry, uh, I'm Jessica, everyone calls me Jess. But seriously, how could they just leave someone behind like that? Didn't they look for you?,” she implored.

“I can’t say that they did, I only realized they had left because the pull wasn’t there. But yeah, there are strict rules about going on land and interacting with humans. My mom used to say the pod was more ‘conservative’ or something but I wouldn't know if that’s true or not, to be fair. This is the longest I've talked to anyone outside the pod.”

There was the disbelief again and the pity you didn’t need.

“So I’m guessing they just left without me. I don’t know how long they waited, if at all.”

“Do they not go to the pod gatherings in the Gulf?” Gabriel asked, clearly concerned over the implications of what you said. Your eyes hit the ground again, partly backing away from the circle of concerned merfolk around you.

“No, we go…well, technically we all go. But again, those are apparently only for ‘people of importance,” you scoffed, directing your view out over the ocean as it lapped closer to your feet.

“Hooo-kay, sweetcheeks. We’re gonna go see my dad and you're going to tell us more about you and the pod you come from because I don’t think anyone here likes the sound of it,” Gabriel declared as he grabbed your upper arm gently, guiding you further down the beach where a larger group of people were congregated. The rest of the group followed --sans the two Winchesters-- wanting to hear more of your story.

Sam turned to his older brother who was still tense from your admission, Dean’s fists balled up and tight. “You alright, man?” His eyes darted over to Sam and he shook out his hands, letting them breathe finally.

“Maybe. I don't know. I don't know what's going on.” With her, with me, with everything, he wanted to say but left it at that, walking down the beach to follow the rest of the group. He rubbed his hands together, ignoring the deep ache that made him want to hold a perfect stranger.

* * *

 

You had to fight every urge in your body not to plant your heels into the ground and worm your way out of Gabriel’s grip.

When you woke up today you had no intention of meeting anyone, let alone anyone from the Novak family or possibly their leader. Today was honestly the weirdest day of your life to date and that included the time you tried fooling around with Valente like 6 seasons ago. And that was definitely a shitshow.

Gabriel brought you to a small group of people sitting around some of the bigger boulders, introducing you with a flourish and a smile. They all eyed you curiously as Gabriel explained how they found you up near the cliff. There was an unassuming man with scruffy, dirty blonde hair and a kind smile. A woman with dark eyes and long, flowing locks. As well as a man with short, black hair and grey eyes alongside a dark-skinned woman with long, pin-straight hair.

“Y/N, this is some of my family,” Gabriel spoke. “This is my dad Chuck Novak, my Aunty Amara, and my siblings Michael and Raphael.”

“U-um, hi,” you mumbled with a small, hesitant wave. There was a crunch of rocks as more people gathered around behind you. Gabriel put a comforting hand on your shoulder and nodded his head towards the others. “Tell us more about you, Sugar.”

Your shoulders bunched up and you tugged at the straps of your back warily, eyes darting over to the water. “Really, guys, I have to get going if I want to make it to my next stop before sundown and honestly I really don’t want to keep repeating myself to people I’m never going to see again,” you babbled, walking backwards as you looked between the people in front of you. “You’re all weirdly nice and all that and I really appreciate you not killing me outright like my pod would or anything but all I really want to do is be on my way before--”

You backed into someone and you squeaked, attempting to pull away before Dean latched onto your hand again. A sense of calm washed over you as he did and you stalled. A few of their pod members noted your serene expression with a knowing smile.

Dean’s hand held yours firmly and his green eyes looked desperate for a reason unknown to the both of you. “Look, we’ve known you for less than 20 minutes at this point, kid.” You scowled at him and he fought a smile which quickly devolved into a look of concern. “We’re worried about you. From what little you’ve told us your, uh, your old pod kinda sounds like a hot cloud of shark shit, if I’m bein’ honest.”

“Well, you’re not wrong,” you murmured as you shrugged.

“Just tell us about you and them. Maybe we can help you if we can,” he urged, his thumb stroking the side of your hand. You let a sigh for the millionth time in the past hour and nodded. Slowly, you took off your backpack and set it down against one of the small boulders then sat down next to it on top of the rock, facing Chuck and the others. You pulled in a deep breath and let it out slowly, unsure of where to start.

Dean moved beside you and placed a warm hand on your opposite shoulder. Instinctively, you made room for him on the rock and he sat beside you, wrapping his arm around your shoulders instead. Everyone, aside from the clueless couple, had their suspicions of what was going on between the two of you but that was best brought up a little later.

You explained how you were born up north in colder waters during a time when your pod was chasing the annual salmon run. Your mother had always told you stories of how hectic it was, going into labor in the middle of hundreds of thousands of salmon. You gave them vague directions of your usual migration route, which was apparently unique to the pod, as you learned from your mom.

It was more common for migration routes to cross over with other pods but that wasn’t the case for yours, minus the annual meetings in the Gulf.

It was well into the afternoon as continued to tell them stories about you and your mom, only occasionally mentioning your father. She had been your best friend and your only confidant. Without her around, the pod grew more and more lonely by the day but you kept going because she taught you never to give up even when times were at their darkest. You had half of your new friends in stitches by the time you exhausted all of your stories, sobering quickly when you were only left with the painful memories after her death.

You didn’t really know where to start on how you got to where you ended up today.

“Why don't you start with how you got here?” Chuck started.

“Oh, okay. Well, among my pod I've always been the most curious about humans and how they live on land, right? We usually stay in the huge bay about sixty miles north of here for a few months, then move on when it starts to get colder. No one else even remotely wanted to go and several people needed things for the migration and when we got to the Gulf.

So, I went up. It was only supposed to be a day or so but I somehow ended up being the sole witness to a crime. A woman was, um, being assaulted by her ex-husband near the boardwalk and I helped her escape.”

“How?,” Cas asked with a tilt of his head. You looked down at the ground to hide your cheeky smile but Dean saw, unable to keep from smiling himself.

“I beat the shit out of him,” you chuckled. “Some humans might look big but they're still not as strong as most merfolk, I've learned.” You brought your hands into your lap and rubbed them together anxiously. “So yeah, since I was the only other person to see what happened, I was kind of the key to putting him away for good.” Your brow furrowed and you frowned at the ground.

“It apparently wasn't the first time he put his hands on her. So, I stayed for the duration of the trial. A full two weeks on land and no one came to look for me.”

“Do you still share a connection to your old pod after your mother’s passing?,” Amara asked, alluding to the bond all merfolk share among their pods.

It was either there with the pod you were born into or formed over time if you spend a lot of time together. Supposedly it’s similar to a low-level family or mating bond and would let the pod know if someone was dead, severely injured/sick, or too far away to maintain it. Dean studied your face, knowing his heart would ache over either answer you gave.

“I was born into the pod,” you answered truthfully. “They would know if I was dead or gone.”

Inexplicably, you could feel the anger coming off of both Dean, Chuck, and Amara.

A lot of weird things were going on with you and Dean today, so you didn’t question it much. But Chuck and Amara were new. You looked up at both of them questioningly and they shared the same expression. Before you could think of what to ask, Gabriel urged you to continue.

“Well, there’s not much after that. The trial was pretty fast since there was nothing going on in that small town but I did stay there in a motel room for two weeks. They fed and clothed me as best they could. I just pretended to be a homeless person.

A police officer, like their guards kind of, gave me this bag to put my stuff in and I did my best to keep the stuff from getting too wet. The bay was empty of all merfolk, searched for a whole night and there was no one. So, I left yesterday morning since I couldn’t stay for obvious reasons.”

A few of them nodded in agreement. Dean’s hand moved to rest against your waist and you fought the urge to lean into him. Still, the warmth of his presence was comforting to you.

“I wouldn’t normally be carrying it all on my own, since swimming with it is pretty awkward but I made it here okay,” you said proudly. “It only took me a day to swim here on my own.”

“A day? You swam for a day straight? How could you not stop to eat?” Charlie asked.

You rubbed the back of your neck. “I had some human food on me that I ate after I got here for the night. I was never allowed to hunt or gather food, that was left up to a handful of people in our pod.”

“What kind of crap is that? Everyone should be able to fend for themselves!” Charlie fumed.

“How were you even planning to get all the way to the Gulf?” Sam asked.

“Hopes and dreams,” you joked, letting out a half-hearted laugh. Dean’s arm tensed. “I figured I’d get what I could find or get human food on the way, maybe. It’s basically a do or die kind of thing. Winter on land would kill most merfolk, so what else was there to do?”

There was a lull in the conversation for a few moments as no one really had a good answer for you.

“So what are these weird rules your pod has? You kind of alluded to them before.” Gabriel said, changing the subject a little.

“Oh. Right. Well, there’s no going on land unless it’s sanctioned. Only the leaders can approve mating pairs outside of true mates. Most mermaids aren’t allowed to speak at meetings unless they’ve proven ‘useful’. Only high-ranking members of the pod are given last names to preserve the distinction. Same goes for going to the inter-pod meetings in the Gulf. They’re very big on ‘merfolk of importance’.”

“But they’re denying people the chance to find their true mates!” Charlie barked.

“Exactly,” you conceded. “It’s a power play, I guess. A way to control people. It’s all stupid politics and bickering and fighting. Oh god, there’s so much fighting. Sometimes it’s easier just to physically fight out your differences than bring it up at a meeting. We don’t even celebrate birthdays or like any holidays!” You threw your hands up in the air and let them back down with a huff.

“Is that why you didn’t say how old you are?” Dean’s rough voice cut in.

You nodded. “After my mom died, I kind of just forgot to keep counting. She’s the only reason I even know about all that stuff. Dad convinced her to join his pod somehow. I’m sure they have records somewhere if I really wanted to know.”

“Wait, your mom joined your dad’s pod?” Sam asked incredulously.

“Yeah, it’s stupid. On the off chance that one of us does meet our true mate, we’re urged to invite them to the pod instead of leaving. Most leave, which I’m totally jealous of.”

“Why don’t you just leave then? Clearly you don’t like it there. I don’t see why you’re trying to go back,” Jess tried to reason.

You looked off into space and pursed your lips. “You can’t leave. Deserters are hunted down and killed on sight. I’ve seen it happen.” They stare at you in awed silence.

“If it’s not authorized and you leave to meet with another pod, they’ll kill anyone that gets in their way. They’re monsters,” you growled. Dean noticed you stroking a thin scar just above your knee. “I tried to follow my father to a meeting once when I was a youngling and they beat my fins bloody for insubordination. That was after they killed a woman from another pod who was trying to save me from them, knowing how the pod treated their young.”

Gabriel sprung up off of his rock. “You’re kidding! That goes against every law put in place between pods! A pod can’t be forced to stay together. You can’t just beat younglings and get away with it! How is this pod still functioning?!”

Chuck stood and clapped a hand on his son’s shoulder, instantly getting him to simmer down a little. “Who leads your pod, Y/N? Does it have a name?” Chuck asked sternly.

“The Romans. Eve is our head and her son in second in command.”

You were taken aback when Amara visibly tensed, immediately making eye contact with Chuck. “What was your mother’s name?” Chuck choked out, looking visibly shaken all of a sudden.

You told them her name and all of the Novaks looked distraught. Your eyes darted between them in question. “What? What’s wrong?”

“I think… No, I knew your mother. She was our half-sister,” Amara answered, eyes full of sorrow. “You’re our niece.”

You froze, staring at the pair of them in disbelief. What kind of weird miracle or possible fever dream you were having up in that cave you fell asleep in last night was happening to you right now? The very notion that you still might have any family was absurd to you. Still, it explained how you felt their anger before with them being your closest blood relatives.

For years you've been virtually alone in your own pod and the hope buried deep inside of your chest was now brimming at the surface.

“Don’t lie to me,” you sobbed. “How is that even possible? Mom would’ve mentioned having siblings! Plus you look nothing like her!” You don’t know why you wanted to deny it but it hurt to think that your mother would keep something like this from you.

The lungs in your chest felt tight and all of a sudden you were feeling particularly claustrophobic, even out in the open air. You pushed off of the rock you were sitting on and away from Dean and everyone else. It was like a switch went off and you could feel your baser instincts trying to kick in for the second time today. Fear. It was all too much for you in such a short span of time, a kindness you were so unused to in your own pod, a possible new family.

The rocks were rough on your feet as you sprinted your way down the beach, calls of your name echoing from behind, only reaching your ears in quiet murmurs. You felt the edge of the cliff before you even realized you were there, launching your body into the ocean.

The saltwater hit you like a freight train, cool and inviting to your overheated skin and scales. This was something you knew.

The one constant in your life was the ocean but in this moment it was doing little to soothe you. A pair of arms wrapped around you and you thrashed violently in the water, wailing on them with your powerful fin. A screech ripped through your throat as you peeled away from them only to be met with calloused hands on your cheeks and a pair of mossy green eyes before you blacked out completely.

**Author's Note:**

> Check me out on tumblr too, if you want~ [@melonshino](http://melonshino.tumblr.com/)  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated and highly encouraged! ♥ ♥ ♥


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